Ollie relaxing in porch when bull terrier struck

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in News
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by Natalie Glanvill, Reporter, covering Chingford, Highams Park and Woodford. Call me on 07795 476 625

A family is calling for tougher dog controls after their beloved cat was mulled to death by a Staffordshire bull terrier.

Catherine List, 38, and husband Liviu Parasciv, of Selwyn Avenue in Highams Park, are mourning the loss of 11-year-old Ollie, after he was killed on Friday.

The family of five's cat was curled up on the porch of their next door neighbour's home when the attack happened at around 9pm.

It is understood the tan-coloured dog was being walked by a young girl off the lead when the dog burst through a neighbour’s gate.

An passer-by knocked on the couple’s door shouting a ‘dog is killing your cat’.

Mr Paraschiv was putting their three young children to bed when he heard the commotion.

"I heard all this loud noise coming from outside then a woman was knocking on the door saying a dog is killing your cat. I answered the door with my children and quickly realised this was not for them to hear," he said.

"I walked outside and there was blood all over the steps of my neighbour’s house and blood was dripping from the dog’s mouth.

"The dog was running around uncontrollably in the front garden and the gate was closed," said the 48 year-old father.

The young girl told him the dog was not hers and gave him a fake number to contact the owner.

Ms List said Ollie didn't stand a chance.

She added: "Ollie was very quiet and tame and would not have provoked the dog. My cat didn’t stand a chance, my neighbour was scared for her life, the animal was just so vicious.

"The children know only that he has gone away as it is far too brutal to tell them the truth."

The cat owners' are calling on the coouncil to enforce tougher controls.

Mr Paraschiv added: "This was a violent dog, which should’ve been muzzled and on a lead.

"It is really disturbing to think this could happen to a child and I think there should be more visible enforcement in the area to prevent this vicious attack occuring again."

Comments (7)

Am I right in believing that in Waltham forest all dogs must be on leads on public highways? The council make all these rules, have spent £1000s on advertisting these rules most of which will never be discovered when broken. The dog mess litter is getting no better, the pavements around highams park school are like a minefield. I watch dog walkers exercising their babies in my road because we have grass verges, most do clear up but to see the cunning some people perpertrate to avoid doing their duty is a sight for sore eyes, & what does the council want us to do, chase after them & provide proof, `AS IF`

Am I right in believing that in Waltham forest all dogs must be on leads on public highways? The council make all these rules, have spent £1000s on advertisting these rules most of which will never be discovered when broken. The dog mess litter is getting no better, the pavements around highams park school are like a minefield. I watch dog walkers exercising their babies in my road because we have grass verges, most do clear up but to see the cunning some people perpertrate to avoid doing their duty is a sight for sore eyes, & what does the council want us to do, chase after them & provide proof, `AS IF`chingford lad

in a public place
in a private place where the dog isn’t allowed to be (eg a neighbour’s house or garden without permission)

The law applies to all dogs.

Some types of dogs are banned.
Out of control

Your dog is considered dangerously out of control if it:

injures someone
makes someone worried that it might injure them

A court could also decide that your dog is dangerously out of control if:

it injures someone’s animal
the owner of the animal thinks they could be injured if they tried to stop your dog attacking their animal

Penalties

You can be fined up to £5,000 and/or sent to prison for up to 6 months if your dog is out of control. You may also not be allowed to own a dog in the future.

If you let your dog injure someone, you can be sent to prison for up to 2 years and/or fined.

If you deliberately use your dog to injure someone you could be charged with ‘malicious wounding’. The maximum penalty is 5 years in prison."

from https://www.gov.uk/c
ontrol-dog-public

"It’s against the law to let a dog be dangerously out of control:
in a public place
in a private place where the dog isn’t allowed to be (eg a neighbour’s house or garden without permission)
The law applies to all dogs.
Some types of dogs are banned.
Out of control
Your dog is considered dangerously out of control if it:
injures someone
makes someone worried that it might injure them
A court could also decide that your dog is dangerously out of control if:
it injures someone’s animal
the owner of the animal thinks they could be injured if they tried to stop your dog attacking their animal
Penalties
You can be fined up to £5,000 and/or sent to prison for up to 6 months if your dog is out of control. You may also not be allowed to own a dog in the future.
If you let your dog injure someone, you can be sent to prison for up to 2 years and/or fined.
If you deliberately use your dog to injure someone you could be charged with ‘malicious wounding’. The maximum penalty is 5 years in prison."
from https://www.gov.uk/c
ontrol-dog-publicsahw

Is this the same WF who fined some chap over 800 quid for a dropped cigarette butt? As usual, a pit bull attack. How many other dogs/cats/kids have to be killed or injured for the government to sort this issue out. These dogs are a menace and there can be no reason for anyone having them. I suspect the usual chavs and braggards will be on this site defending these dogs. But before you do, you are wrong - they are dangerous and need to be destroyed.

Is this the same WF who fined some chap over 800 quid for a dropped cigarette butt? As usual, a pit bull attack. How many other dogs/cats/kids have to be killed or injured for the government to sort this issue out. These dogs are a menace and there can be no reason for anyone having them. I suspect the usual chavs and braggards will be on this site defending these dogs. But before you do, you are wrong - they are dangerous and need to be destroyed.SillyCnut

SillyCnut wrote:
Is this the same WF who fined some chap over 800 quid for a dropped cigarette butt? As usual, a pit bull attack. How many other dogs/cats/kids have to be killed or injured for the government to sort this issue out. These dogs are a menace and there can be no reason for anyone having them. I suspect the usual chavs and braggards will be on this site defending these dogs. But before you do, you are wrong - they are dangerous and need to be destroyed.

No mention of the irresponsible girl walking this dog without a lead then? Unfortunately many of these dogs are used as status symbols because they are deemed so dangerous and don't get well treated themselves. Any dog is dangerous in the wrong hands. If an owner really loved their dog they would not put the dog in that situation and have it on a lead, My friends cat of 15yrs died the same way. In my friends case the dog was owned by a gang and the police and RSPCA were informed but nothing was done. I am talking quite a few years back, but I expect nothing has changed that much. If we can catch people spitting and throwing cigarette butts away surely we can catch the people walking their dogs without a lead and start fining them heavily?

[quote][p][bold]SillyCnut[/bold] wrote:
Is this the same WF who fined some chap over 800 quid for a dropped cigarette butt? As usual, a pit bull attack. How many other dogs/cats/kids have to be killed or injured for the government to sort this issue out. These dogs are a menace and there can be no reason for anyone having them. I suspect the usual chavs and braggards will be on this site defending these dogs. But before you do, you are wrong - they are dangerous and need to be destroyed.[/p][/quote]No mention of the irresponsible girl walking this dog without a lead then? Unfortunately many of these dogs are used as status symbols because they are deemed so dangerous and don't get well treated themselves. Any dog is dangerous in the wrong hands. If an owner really loved their dog they would not put the dog in that situation and have it on a lead, My friends cat of 15yrs died the same way. In my friends case the dog was owned by a gang and the police and RSPCA were informed but nothing was done. I am talking quite a few years back, but I expect nothing has changed that much. If we can catch people spitting and throwing cigarette butts away surely we can catch the people walking their dogs without a lead and start fining them heavily?Debbie2312

SillyCnut wrote:
Is this the same WF who fined some chap over 800 quid for a dropped cigarette butt? As usual, a pit bull attack. How many other dogs/cats/kids have to be killed or injured for the government to sort this issue out. These dogs are a menace and there can be no reason for anyone having them. I suspect the usual chavs and braggards will be on this site defending these dogs. But before you do, you are wrong - they are dangerous and need to be destroyed.

You are confusing two separate issues. I'm not sure any local authority is able to deal with matters like this effectively. It would be massively labour intensive and would require cuts to other services so don't pass the blame on to them. Responsibility rests with owners.

[quote][p][bold]SillyCnut[/bold] wrote:
Is this the same WF who fined some chap over 800 quid for a dropped cigarette butt? As usual, a pit bull attack. How many other dogs/cats/kids have to be killed or injured for the government to sort this issue out. These dogs are a menace and there can be no reason for anyone having them. I suspect the usual chavs and braggards will be on this site defending these dogs. But before you do, you are wrong - they are dangerous and need to be destroyed.[/p][/quote]You are confusing two separate issues. I'm not sure any local authority is able to deal with matters like this effectively. It would be massively labour intensive and would require cuts to other services so don't pass the blame on to them. Responsibility rests with owners.Robert19

SillyCnut wrote:
Is this the same WF who fined some chap over 800 quid for a dropped cigarette butt? As usual, a pit bull attack. How many other dogs/cats/kids have to be killed or injured for the government to sort this issue out. These dogs are a menace and there can be no reason for anyone having them. I suspect the usual chavs and braggards will be on this site defending these dogs. But before you do, you are wrong - they are dangerous and need to be destroyed.

You are confusing two separate issues. I'm not sure any local authority is able to deal with matters like this effectively. It would be massively labour intensive and would require cuts to other services so don't pass the blame on to them. Responsibility rests with owners.

if you read my post, I said that the government should do something: like legislate. Of course the owner is irresponsible, but the dog killed the cat, not her. The problem is these types of dogs, despite what anyone says. Remember the girl attacked by one of these dogs on Chingford Plain a few years back, and the recent case in Gunpowder Park. Just ban these dogs: no questions, no arguments.

[quote][p][bold]Robert19[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]SillyCnut[/bold] wrote:
Is this the same WF who fined some chap over 800 quid for a dropped cigarette butt? As usual, a pit bull attack. How many other dogs/cats/kids have to be killed or injured for the government to sort this issue out. These dogs are a menace and there can be no reason for anyone having them. I suspect the usual chavs and braggards will be on this site defending these dogs. But before you do, you are wrong - they are dangerous and need to be destroyed.[/p][/quote]You are confusing two separate issues. I'm not sure any local authority is able to deal with matters like this effectively. It would be massively labour intensive and would require cuts to other services so don't pass the blame on to them. Responsibility rests with owners.[/p][/quote]if you read my post, I said that the government should do something: like legislate. Of course the owner is irresponsible, but the dog killed the cat, not her. The problem is these types of dogs, despite what anyone says. Remember the girl attacked by one of these dogs on Chingford Plain a few years back, and the recent case in Gunpowder Park. Just ban these dogs: no questions, no arguments.SillyCnut

Annoying also that cats are allowed to roam the streets day/night ,kill song birds,breed & ' mess ' wherever they please without any control or consequence.
Why do people have cats only to leave them out on the street 24/7?

Annoying also that cats are allowed to roam the streets day/night ,kill song birds,breed & ' mess ' wherever they please without any control or consequence.
Why do people have cats only to leave them out on the street 24/7?chrise17